Review: Carolina Home by Virginia Kantra

Title: Carolina Home
Series: Dare Island, #1
Author: Virginia Kantra
Published: July 3, 2012
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher (Berkley)
Rating: B+
Reviewed by: Ellie

Favorite quote: “Her breath deserted her. Her anger died. He was such a good guy, she thought. Such a dear, good, pigheaded guy.”


summary from Goodreads

Home to the Fletcher family for generations, Dare Island is a fishing village rocked by changing times—its traditions slipping away like the sands of the North Carolina coast. Single dad and fishing boat captain Matt Fletcher deferred his own dreams to support his innkeeper parents and build a future for his sixteen-year-old son. Matt has learned to weather life's storms by steering a steady emotional course...and keeping a commitment-free approach to love.

Newcomer Allison Carter came to Dare Island to escape the emotional demands of her wealthy family. The young teacher aims to build a life here, to make a lasting place for herself. She doesn't want to be another in the long line of Women Who Once Dated Matt Fletcher. It's both tempting and dangerous to believe she can be something more.

Then Matt's brother Luke makes a sudden return home, with a child of his own—and a request that will change all their lives. With a child's welfare at stake, Matt must turn to Allison to teach him to let go of the past, open his eyes...and follow his heart.

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Ellie's thoughts:
Allison Carter has finally landed her dream job of teaching on Dare Island off the coast of SOuth Carolina. Dare Island is far enough away from her meddling mother, absent father and the trust fund she doesn’t want and Allison is determined to make herself a part of the community. Allison didn’t count on Matt Fletcher, the sexy father of one of her brightest and troublesome students. Allison has made it a rule not to date parents of her students but Matt won’t take no for an answer and soon they are the talk of the Island.

Matt Fletcher loves fishing, his family and his teenage son and has devoted his life to those three things. Matt has always made it a point to date casually and never with women who live on the island but after meeting his son’s teacher he decides to change his rules. Allison is everything he never knew he wanted and everything he’s scared to want. With the added responsibilities of his niece he didn’t know about, trying to raise a teenage boy and make a living Matt doesn’t have room for a relationship but his heart has other plans and is determined to keep her no matter what the cost.

Carolina Home is the first in a new contemporary romance series by Virginia Kantra set in the Outer Banks of South Carolina. I have read some of Mrs. Kantra’s other books and Carolina Home is by far the best one. Carolina Home centers around the Fletcher family and the inn they run on the island. There are three kids Matt, who still lives on the island with his teenage son Josh, Meg who is a big shot in the financial world in NYC and Luke who is a marine like his father and serving a tour in Afghanistan. The Fletchers are not without their problems especially when Luke shows up with his ten year old daughter, Taylor, who he never knew about and has to leave her with his parents and Matt to go back to his troops.

There is a lot going on in this book and it’s told from almost everyone’s point of view which at first bugged me. Sometimes when there are so many POV I feel like the main characters get lost but I loved it in this book especially when Taylor got her turn. Taylor stole the entire book and broke my heart at the same time. I have a feeling this is going to continue during the rest of the series and I already know she will make me do the ugly cry eventually. The kids, Taylor and Josh, play very big roles in Carolina Home and I hope they do so in future books.

Lets get to Matt and Allison who I adored. These two don’t seem like they will be a good fit but then attraction to one another, even though they both try to fight it, is amazing and kept me reading just to see if these two could try to keep their hands off each other. Luckily for me they couldn’t and some of their scenes are steamy. My only problem with their relationship was the big age gap that they had. Allison is closer in age to Matt’s son Josh and for some reason this really bothered me and kept bothering me the entire time. Besides this I really loved them.

Carolina Home was a very sweet, somewhat predictable but very enjoyable book. Even though I could guess what was going to happen I still really enjoyed myself and I can’t wait for the next book which will be about Meg. I really want to know what happens with the Fletchers and find out what the big secret is and if everyone will come out okay. This series has sucked me in and I cannot wait for my next visit to Dare Island.